History

Burek arrived in Bosnia from the Ottoman borek tradition during the 1463 to 1878 imperial period and crystallised on Bravadziluk as the Sarajevo phyllo street-food anchor. The phrase 'Burek je samo s mesom' (burek is only with meat) marks the Bosnian dialect's split from Yugoslav and Turkish usage. Buregdzinica Sac on Mali Bravadziluk has pulled burek under sac for more than 200 years.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g ready-rolled phyllo pastry
  • 500g minced beef (or 50/50 beef and lamb)
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 100ml sunflower oil for brushing
  • 100ml water

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200 C; brush a round baking pan with oil.
  2. Mix the minced beef with chopped onions, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl.
  3. Lay one phyllo sheet, brush with oil, layer a second on top. Repeat for 4 sheets.
  4. Spread a strip of meat mixture along one long edge of the phyllo and roll into a long tube.
  5. Coil the tube into a spiral in the centre of the pan; repeat with remaining phyllo and filling, coiling around the centre.
  6. Brush the top with oil and a tablespoon of water; bake 35 to 40 minutes until deeply golden.
  7. Brush with another tablespoon of water once out of the oven; rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Tip from the editors. If you cannot get kajmak to serve with, plain Greek yogurt salted lightly is the standard accompaniment.

Where to eat burek

Burek in Belgrade

Pekara Trpkovic Slavija ★ 4.7

Bakery$vracarMon-Fri 06:00-19:00, Sat 06:00-16:00, closed Sun

Pekara Trpkovic on Nemanjina in Vracar runs Belgrade's most-queued burek counter under 300 dinars a slice. Century-old recipes, no additives ever.

Try: Burek sa sirom

Nemanjina 32, 11000 Belgrade

Pekara Trpkovic Dusanovac ★ 4.5

Bakery$palilulaMon-Sat 06:00-19:00, closed SunWalk-in onlyTraditional Serbian and Bosnian burek

Pekara Trpkovic Dusanovac is the southern Belgrade sister to the Slavija flagship. Same family recipes for burek, kifle and Serbian pastry items.

Worth the queue: Burek sa mesom

Milorada Bonzulica 6, 11000 Belgrade

Pekara Trpkovic Zvezdara ★ 4.4

Bakery$palilulaMon-Sat 06:00-19:00, closed SunWalk-in onlyTraditional Serbian and Bosnian burek

Pekara Trpkovic Zvezdara on Dimitrija Tucovica is the eastern Belgrade branch. Same dough, same traditional pita and burek, residential queue.

Worth the queue: Burek sa krompirom

Dimitrija Tucovica 60, 11000 Belgrade

Pekara Sava Petrovic Zemun ★ 4.3

Bakery$zemunMon-Sun 06:00-21:00Walk-in onlySerbian bakery and burek

Pekara Sava Petrovic anchors Zemun's Glavna bakery row in Belgrade, baking burek and pita through the day for Danube quay traffic. Family-run.

Worth the queue: Burek sa sirom

Glavna 19, 11080 Zemun, Belgrade

Burek in Sarajevo

Buregdzinica Sac ★ 4.5

BrunchBurek and yogurt morning$$5-10 KMbascarsijaMon-Sun 07:00-22:00Walk-in

Buregdzinica Sac on Mali Bravadziluk is the Sarajevo Bosnian morning sit, with burek under sac, yogurt and pita pulled fresh through breakfast hours.

Order: 200g meat burek with yogurt and a Bosnian coffee to finish the morning sit.

Tip: 07:00-09:00 is the freshest pull at the Sarajevo Bascarsija counter.

Bravadziluk Mali 2, 71000 Sarajevo

Buregdzinica Bosna ★ 4.4

Bosnian$bascarsijaMon-Sun 08:00-23:00

Buregdzinica Bosna on Bravadziluk pulls the Sarajevo Bosnian phyllo family at 4 KM a slice, meat burek, sirnica cheese pita and krompirusa potato pita.

Try: Spiral burek, sirnica or krompirusa

Tip: Sold by weight; 200g is one lunch portion, take yogurt with it.

Bravadziluk 11, 71000 Sarajevo

More cities are in research. Want burek covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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